


In The Cards

by KimiSama1989



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Taylor Kitsch - Fandom, X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Abuse, Dark!Fanfiction, Dark!Gambit, Dark!Marvel, Dark!Remy LeBeau, F/M, Fanfic, Fanfiction, Loss of Virginity, Remy LeBeau - Freeform, Tarot, Violence, dark!fic, dub-con, non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:29:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24632347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimiSama1989/pseuds/KimiSama1989
Summary: Two gifted individuals have a common weapon. When it comes to offense or defense, cards have more uses than just games.
Relationships: Gambit/Kimi, Gambit/Original Female Character, Remy LeBeau/Kimi, Remy LeBeau/Original Female Character
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this is my very first attempt at an AU like this, or with Dark!characters. Written for @theliveshipparagon #PennyDreadfulChallenge It kind of turned into a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation. Written with inspiration from the Taylor Kitsch version of Gambit
> 
> Warnings: 18+ Non-con/Dub-con, smut, Dark!Gambit, abuse, loss of virginity, violence, swearing

9 of Cups, 9 of Wands and 10 of Pentacles: These were the cards laying on the table in front of Kimi. She was reading for the woman sitting across from her who was currently squirming nervously in her seat.

“In the past, you’ve had great success with your own choices, but now you’re worried about those around you. I suggest caution and perseverance. You will find prosperity in your endeavors.” Kimi pointed to each card in turn as she spoke. The woman sighed with relief and visibly relaxed. Kimi had the uncanny ability to read Tarot with perfect accuracy and word of her readings had spread throughout Louisiana. The woman thanked her before dropping her money on the table and leaving. Kimi slipped the bills into her pocket and walked to the door. She locked it and engaged the deadbolt. The day had been busy, but she preferred it that way as it made the time pass by quicker.

Kimi picked up her cards with the intention of storing them away for the night, but as soon as she touched them, she felt the familiar pull. The cards seemed to have a mind of their own and called for her to read. She sat down once more and shuffled. When she felt the pull again, she drew three cards and set them face up. The Hierophant, The Wheel of Fortune and The Hanged Man stared up at her. She examined the images closely for several minutes before collecting them back into the deck and packing the cards into their pouch. Kimi stood and climbed the stairs in the back of her shop. She had a small apartment on the second floor of the building. As she dressed for bed, her thoughts were centered on the last three cards. Tomorrow would be the start of an interesting journey.

The next morning, Kimi woke with the sun. She stayed in bed for several minutes trying to remember what her dream had been. She had been in a cavernous room filled with fire; she could only describe it as the pits of hell. There was a man there, somehow she knew he was the devil, but he didn’t look like the stereotypical demon of literature. He was tall with tousled, brown hair and a square jaw. He wore a long brown trench coat left open revealing black pants and a pink/red chest piece. His most striking feature was his eyes. They were red with black where the white should have been.

Kimi continued thinking about those red eyes as she finally pried herself from the warmth and comfort of her bed. She walked to the little kitchen area and began preparing breakfast. She scrambled two eggs and pan fried toast. She poured a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table to eat. Once her plate was empty, Kimi dropped her dishes in the sink. She didn’t really feel like washing them now. She would make herself do it later. She dressed herself in a simple, comfortable dress and headed downstairs to start the day. Kimi unlocked the front door, sat down and began to shuffle her tarot deck.

After only a few minutes, the bell on the door rang and a man in a wheelchair rolled up to the table.

“Kimi?” He asked. When she nodded, he reached his hand out. She took it and shook. “My name is Patrick Stewart. I am here as a representative of the X-Men.” Kimi drew a card from her deck and looked at it without showing him. The Emperor signified authority or a ‘father figure’.

“Care to try again, Chuck?” She turned the card to show him. He looked annoyed at her use of the nickname.

“I apologize.” He nodded; his face back to its neutral, friendly look. “I had to know if the rumors were true. I am Charles Xavier, head of the X-Men and founder of the Xavier Institute. I would like to invite you to our organization.”

“I’m not sure…” Kimi began, but he held up his hand for her to stop.

“You don’t have to decide now. Please, just allow me to explain what we do and give you a tour of the school.”

“I suppose a tour wouldn’t hurt anything.” She agreed. “Where is the school located?”

“New York. I have a car outside that will take us to my private jet. I can get you home by tomorrow if you choose not to stay.” He paused for a moment, giving her a quizzical look. “You haven’t taken a trip in many years. It would do you some good to get away for a night.”

“How do you know that?”

“I am a telepath. Among other things, one of my powers is the ability to read minds.”

“Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.” Kimi rolled her eyes. “In the future I suggest you either don’t read my mind or don’t answer unspoken thoughts.” She packed a travel bag with everything she would need for a couple nights. She wasn’t planning on staying, but it wouldn’t hurt to have options. Kimi grabbed her tarot deck, locked the door and headed to the car that was waiting for them. The driver took her bag and stowed it in the trunk as she and Xavier entered the backseat. The car started down the road and onto the highway.

The two sat in a silence that Kimi was thankful for. She didn’t really know what to talk to this man about. She had heard of the X-Men and even Charles Xavier, but she didn’t know what he could possibly want with her. True, she could read the cards accurately, but that wouldn’t help her in a combat situation. She would only be a hindrance to the other members. Just then, there was an explosion in front of the vehicle that made the driver swerve to the right and slam on the brakes.

“Get out now!” Xavier yelled at her. Kimi threw the door open and jumped out. Another blast caused the car to explode. She ran for the trees and felt her cards call to her. ‘Is now really the time?’ The feeling didn’t go away, so she pulled a card out of her pocket and looked at the image. The card in her hands was the Knight of Swords. ‘That can’t be good.’ This described their current enemy as cutting, unfeeling and overbearing. Then she saw him. He was walking directly towards her with a confident stride. He was tall with shoulder-length hair and a strong jaw. His smirk was smug and a little arrogant. He wore a bowler hat and trench coat over a purple shirt and black vest. Kimi felt the cards’ call again and drew another card from her pocket. It was Death. She quickly slipped both cards back with the others as he reached her.

“Mon cher.” He said it as a way of greeting in a Cajun accent. Kimi turned to run, but felt her feet leave the ground as he picked her up easily.

“Let me down.” She demanded.

“No can do, cher.” He took off running with her hanging over his shoulder. Kimi struggled against his hold and beat her fists on his back. This didn’t deter him or even make him slow down. In fact, he didn’t seem to notice. After what seemed like an hour, the man finally slowed down and spoke.

“I wouldn’t trust Xavier if I were you. He had no intention of letting you leave once you entered the institute.”

“And why would I trust you instead?”

“My plan is to set you free tomorrow.”

“Why not now?”

“He won’t have given up yet. He’ll send the X-Men after us. We need to find somewhere safe for tonight.” He stopped walking. “If I put you down, will you promise not to run?” Kimi thought back to the cards she had drawn since this morning, including the two she drew for this man whose name she didn’t even know.

“I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself.” He set her down and she looked at his face and noticed his eyes. They were green with a hint of brown, almost but not quite hazel. “I assume you have a name.”

“My friends call me Remy; Remy LeBeau.” He smiled and bowed with a wave of his hand. “At your service.”

“I’m Kimi.” She smiled. ”You said your friends……. And what about your enemies?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she saw his eyes darken.

“Gambit.” He said gruffly. “Let’s hope you never have need of that name.” It was a moment before his eyes returned to normal. “Come cher, we need to keep moving.”

They walked in silence for quite a while before Kimi asked a question that had been on her mind.

“Xavier is a strong telepath, yet you were able to surprise him. Shouldn’t your thoughts have given you away?”

“My thoughts are not so easily read. I can tell when someone is trying and I’m able to block them out.” They emerged from the trees and Kimi saw buildings appear in the distance. As they grew closer, she smelled the aromas of several different types of food which caused her stomach to growl. It was probably about noon and she hadn’t eaten since this morning. Remy stopped and looked at her.

“I guess we should find somewhere to eat. We can’t stay here long and we need to find a place that is fairly crowded.”

“Won’t it take longer if it’s busy?”

“Yes, but the X-Men won’t hurt innocent people to get to us. They might make a scene, but that should help us get away unseen.” 

They found a cute little cafe that didn’t have a line out the door, but they could see people waiting at the register. It took twenty minutes for them to order their food and another ten before it was ready. Remy found a table at the back of the restaurant away from the front window and they sat down. Kimi picked up her sandwich and took a bite. It was ham and cheese with lettuce and tomato on a baguette.

“Remy, please tell me about yourself. It feels odd to be eating with a man whom I know nothing about.” 

He finished chewing his mouthful of food and thought a moment before responding.

“I was born in New Orleans, immediately taken from the hospital and raised in a thieves' guild. My mutant powers showed up when I was a teenager.” He started eating again and Kimi realized that was all he was going to say, at least for now.

Kimi had just popped the last of her sandwich into her mouth, when she saw a commotion coming from the front of the shop. Before she could tell what was happening, Remy stood in front of her and grabbed her hand.

“We have to go now.” He pulled her to her feet and they ran for the door. A man with a weird visor was just outside the door keeping them from leaving.

“Gambit, you have to let her go.”

“The only thing I have to do, is get away from you, Cyclops.” 

Kimi saw his eyes darken as he pulled a playing card out of his trench coat’s inner pocket. The card started to glow pink and he threw it at the visored man. 

The man, Cyclops, jumped out of the way just as the card hit the ground and exploded. Remy threw several more cards and pulled Kimi into a run away from the cafe. Kimi heard the explosions behind them and saw a red laser beam hit a trash can just to the left of Remy. He took something out of his coat and with a flick of his wrist it became a six foot-long staff. He grabbed her around the waist and used the staff to vault them over a wall. On the other side was a motel building. He knelt in front of one of the doors and began to pick the lock. It only took a minute and he opened the door. Kimi walked in first and turned around to see him enter behind her.

Remy closed the motel room door and turned to Kimi. He still had the dark, Gambit look in his eyes. He took three large strides across the small room and stopped mere inches from her. She took a step back and felt the wall behind her. He stepped forward again and her heart, already beating fast from running, sped up. She was beginning to understand Remy, but the man in front of her, Gambit, was still a dangerous mystery. 

He pressed himself against her and she felt the heat of his unsteady breath on her neck. She also felt a hard presence between her legs. ‘No’, she thought to herself. ‘I’m not ready for this.’ She found herself unable to speak the words. ‘No. I don’t want this.’ Maybe if she thought it hard enough, he would understand. 

If he did, he ignored it and bit down hard on her neck. She opened her mouth to scream at the pain, but he pressed a hand to her causing the sound to be muffled. Gambit lifted his head and she saw a grin cross his lips. He took his hand away from her mouth, grabbed her hair and crashed his mouth into hers. She pushed against his chest, trying to pry him off of her, but it was like attacking a brick wall. In fact, her struggle only seemed to excite him more. He grabbed the collar of her dress and ripped it open. He pulled away from her mouth to see his handiwork. Kimi looked down at the remaining cloth covering her: lace panties and matching bra that hooked in the front. All she could do was watch as he roughly undid the bra and threw it to the floor. Then his eyes dropped to her nethers and the thin clothing there.

“No, please.” Kimi finally found her voice and she begged, but to no avail. Gambit hooked his finger into the lace and ripped the panties off. She felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks. This couldn’t be how her first time happened. She wasn’t a prude, but she wanted her first time to be with someone she cared for. She wanted it to be more than just a one night stand. 

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt his fingers enter her. She cried out: “No.” His response was to remove his fingers and slap her face leaving a wet spot on her cheek from her own juices. Then he shoved his fingers into her mouth making her taste herself. She bit down hard and he cursed loudly. He grabbed her throat with both of his hands and pressed.

“You will not do that again if you want to continue living.” He pressed tighter for emphasis, making her gasp for breath. “Do you understand?” Kimi nodded as best as she could and he let go. She gasped again trying to fill her lungs, finding it painful. Gambit reached down and unbuckled his belt. He pulled it out of the loops keeping it around his pants. She had no idea what he planned to do next, but she found out very quickly when she felt the sharp pain of the belt hitting her breast. She screamed, but her sore throat only managed a muffled sound. She tried to block the next strike with her arms. He grabbed her wrists and held them together above her head with one hand. He pelted her several more times leaving welts that covered her chest. Each strike caused another muffled scream to escape her lips and more tears to stream down her face. Kimi heard the belt hit the floor and her eyes followed his hand back to his pants. He unbuttoned and pulled the zipper down. She watched as he pushed his pants and boxers down just enough to reveal his hardness.

“No, no, no. Please. You can’t.” She begged and struggled against his hand. Gambit smiled and pressed her hands tighter to the wall.

“I can and I will.” He used his free hand to position himself and pushed into her. He groaned and without giving her a chance to adjust to him, he began thrusting deep inside her. She cried as she accepted her fate. There was nothing she could do to stop this man. She let her body go limp in defeat. He held her up and continued his motions, but she could tell this frustrated him. 

He pulled out of her, grabbed her painfully by the waist and threw her onto the bed. She landed with her face in the pillow. Before she could move, she felt the now familiar sting of the belt on her back and behind. She cried into the pillow and tried to push herself up. He pushed her back down and grabbed her hands again. She felt him wrap something around her wrists tightly and pull them upwards. She raised her head and saw that he had removed his shirt and was using the sleeves to tie her to the headboard. She pulled, but he tied it too securely. 

She felt him grab her behind and lift her. He slapped her and rammed into her. She screamed into the pillow again as he took up his rhythm. Her body rocked with his movement and she tried to think of anything besides the pain of his actions. It seemed like he knew where her thoughts were and every time she got away mentally, he slapped her again and pulled her back. She felt him quiver inside of her and she had a sudden realization. He wasn’t going to stop. He planned on coming in her. She raised her head and tried to scream at him through her rough throat.

“Gambit….. please, don’t…..” He growled at her use of his name and she felt him push into her once more as he released. 

She dropped her head and cried. She didn’t move as he pulled out and she felt the bed shift with his absence. He untied her hands and she curled up. She stayed in that position and cried for several minutes before she made herself sit up. She looked around the room and saw that he was gone. 

Kimi crawled off the bed and found the tattered remains of her clothing. She reached into the pocket of her dress and removed her cards. She shuffled them and pulled one; Death. ‘No. That can’t be right.’ She shuffled the cards and drew again; Death. She stared at the card. This deck was given to her by her grandmother and it belonged to her grandmother before that. These cards had never failed her before, but she doubted them now.

She had a thought. She focused entirely on Gambit and pulled a card. It was the Knight of Swords. She shuffled the deck and drew again, this time focusing solely on Remy. Death was once again in her hand.

She stood up, set the deck on the nightstand and headed to the bathroom. She started the water in the shower and stepped in. Letting the water wash over her, she slumped to the floor and let the tears fall from her eyes again. They mixed with the water and washed down the drain. She cried until she couldn’t anymore and let the water run cold.

When she finally walked out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her, she was surprised to see Remy, eyes back to normal, sitting on the bed. She had only looked at him briefly and let her eyes fall to the floor. She had no idea what to expect out of him now. Would he try to apologize? Would he do it again?

“We need to leave. Get dressed.” He sounded distant and she braved another glance to find he was looking past her. She turned to see what he was looking at. There, in the open closet, was a dress. It was dingy and worn as though it had been left here, untouched, for at least a month.

“I’m not putting that on.” Kimi straightened up. “Who knows how long that thing has been sitting there.”

“Fine.” He retorted. “Go out naked. I don’t care.” He stood and headed for the door, putting his hand on the knob. 

Kimi looked to the pile of what used to be her clothes.

“Wait.” He stopped and turned back to her. She sighed and grabbed the dress. She shook it with the intention of removing any creatures that might have taken up home in the discarded fabric. What came out instead, was a rather large cloud of dust that caused her to cough. She beat it against the wall a few times until most of the dust had moved from the dress and into the air. Then she walked over to the pile on the floor. She was able to work with her bra enough to wear it and as she slipped the dress over her body, she wished she could have done the same with her panties. As long as she didn’t think too hard about it, she could imagine this was just another one of her own dresses. “I really wish I had my overnight bag, but SOMEBODY blew it up in the car.”

“I was too busy saving you from an eternal prison. Besides, I didn’t even know you had an overnight bag.”

“You were saving me? Yeah, that worked out great.” She rolled her eyes before grabbing her tarot deck and following him out the door. They walked in silence for what seemed like two hours before Remy suddenly stopped and grabbed her arm.

“You can’t run this time.” Cyclops stood in front of them.

“You think you can stop me all by yourself?” Remy shot back.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not alone this time.” He gestured around them and Kimi looked. There were men and women, X-Men, completely surrounding them. They began to close in and Kimi saw a man in a wheelchair pull up next to Cyclops. Xavier. Of course he was here. For some reason this was all about her. She put her hands up in surrender.

“Stop. You want me? Fine. Just leave Remy out of this.” Kimi looked at Remy, next to her, and saw a puzzled look.

“Why? Why would you give yourself up for me?”

“Because of this.” She pulled a card from her deck and held it up for him to see. It was Death.

“You think I’ll get you killed?” He looked hurt by his interpretation of the image.

“This card gets such a bad rap. The death card isn’t literal. It signifies the transition of one state to another. I pulled this card for you. It shows me a redemption for you.”

“Redemption for the man who treated you like that?” Xavier cut in. “After what he did to you, you really think he’s redeemable?”

“How do you know about that?” Kimi turned to him. “I wasn’t even thinking about that and I know you can’t read his mind.” She gestured to Remy. 

Sudden realization hit her. “You were close enough to hear it all in my mind and you didn’t stop it. Why? So you could turn it around? Make me trust you? You make me sick. I wouldn’t trust anyone who would knowingly let something like that happen.” She flipped him off. “Fuck you.”

Remy moved so fast Kimi hardly saw the movement. He had thrown cards at all the X-Men and pulled out his staff. He held out his arm and she grabbed him around the waist. As the cards exploded, he vaulted them over the mutants and they took off running. Kimi knew that this was just the start. She would be on the run from Xavier and the X-Men for the rest of her life, but she had one ally. She still had much to learn about him and she may never fully trust him, but she knew one thing for sure. Death was only the beginning.


	2. On The Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tough first night, these 2 unlikely companions will have to work together to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If I die, I’m haunting you first
> 
> Warnings: Dark!Gambit, mentions of loss of virginity, abuse and Non-Con, violence, swearing

Kimi sat at the small table shuffling her tarot cards absent-mindedly while looking around the motel room she and her companion had chosen for the night.

She looked to the man whom she had been traveling with. In the time they had been together, she had come to know him as two people: Remy and Gambit.

Remy was strong and smart, but seemed a touch sad and lonely. He was also a flirt; often calling her Cher and kissing her hand. Kimi couldn’t tell if he liked her if that was just his personality shining through.

Gambit, on the other hand, was mysterious and a bit scary. He had forcefully taken her virginity on the first night they were together. At first, she was intrigued by him, but now she wanted nothing to do with him.

They were currently on the run from the X-Men. Their leader, Charles Xavier, wanted her to join them, but didn’t tell her that she wouldn’t be able to leave. She only learned that when Remy grabbed her from Xavier’s car and carried her away. That was 1 week ago. Since then, they had been staying in a new place every night.

Kimi shook her head and brought herself back to the little room. She looked down and saw that one of her tarot cards was lying face up on the table: The Tower. ‘What kind of sudden change?’ she thought as she drew another card. She stared at the 5 of Cups and she began to worry. Kimi had the ability to read tarot with unerring accuracy. This was why the X-Men wanted her. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her mind. The 5 of Cups signified loss, bereavement and all the emotions that came with it. She didn’t have any family or close friends and that really only left herself. ‘It doesn’t necessarily mean….’ Her thought broke off as Remy stood from the bed.

“Are you sure you want to go back there, Cher? You and I both know, they’ll be waiting for us.” he looked sincerely concerned.

“We have to.” She nodded. “There’s something I need to get.” Today, they would be within walking distance of her old shop with her upstairs apartment. She hadn’t seen it since the day her life changed courses. She gathered her cards and slipped them into her pocket as she stood up. They left the motel room and headed towards the shopping district.

Kimi was about to turn the corner to her old block, but Remy stopped her and looked first. When he turned around, he took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

“Last chance to back out.”

She shook her head and he handed her his bo staff. They turned the corner together and, even though they didn’t see anyone, walked cautiously to the shop. Just as Kimi reached the door, she noticed that it was open. She nudged it open with the staff and what she saw, brought her to tears. The place had been ransacked. All the drawers were open and their contents thrown across the room. The table and chairs where she used to read the cards for customers had been upturned and lay broken amongst the mess.

“Cher, we have to hurry. I hear someone coming. Go. I’ll stay here and keep whoever it is, busy.” Kimi wiped her eyes and nodded. She ran up the stairs and knelt on the floor where her bed should have been. One good thing about this mess was that she didn’t have to move it to get to the loose floorboard that was normally hidden. It looked as though no one had discovered her secret. She pried the wood up and looked into the small hole. There was a small box, no bigger than her tarot deck. She lifted it and examined it.

To any other person it was just a small block of wood with no opening, but she knew how to open it. Her grandmother had given it to her with her tarot deck and told her that the two were connected. She could still hear her grandmother’s words, ‘The right card will be the key to both this box and your life. When the time comes, it will open.’ Somehow Kimi knew now was the right time. She reached into her pocket and drew a card from the deck. As she held it against the box, she looked at the artwork. It depicted an angel with one foot in a river and the other on land. The angel was pouring liquid from one jar to another. Temperance showed a need for balance; a coming together of two things or people.

Kimi heard a small click and returned the card to her pocket. The box was open and inside was a silver oval-shaped locket. She took it carefully in her hand and set the box on the floor. Holding the locket to her chest, Kimi remembered her mother wearing it daily and only removing it to sleep.

“I didn’t think you would actually come back.” Kimi hadn’t heard anyone enter the room. She turned around to see Cyclops standing there with a stern look on his face.

“I have got to ask you. What’s up with the visor?” She clasped the locket around her neck as he began to speak.

“It helps me to control my powers.”

“Oooo. What kind of powers do you have?” Kimi smiled giddily.

“Energy beams that can destroy mountains.”

“From your eyes? Like laser beams? Can you only destroy mountains?”

“Do you always ask this many questions?” It was obvious that he was quickly becoming exasperated with her.

“You don’t have to be such a grump about it.”

“How about this? Come with us and I will answer all of your questions.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you or your paraplegic leader.” Kimi took a fighting stance with the bo staff held in front of her. She was nowhere near proficient with it, but Remy had shown her a few moves. She didn’t want to be a burden to him in a fighting situation so she begged him after their last confrontation with the X-Men until he gave in.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Please, just come have a civil conversation with us. Let Xavier tell you about all the good we do.”

“Why are you defending him? He’s an ass that will use whatever he can to get his way and I won’t stand for it.”

“You don’t understand. He wants to help you. He can train you, help you learn and strengthen your abilities.”

“Help me? That must be a joke.” She scoffed. “After what I’ve been through? And have you seen the state of my shop? That man is insane and so are you if you think this is helping anyone.” She spat at him.

“If that’s the way you want it, we’ll do this your way.” He reached up and pressed a button on the side of his visor. A red energy beam shot out of his eyes and made contact with the floor at Kimi’s feet causing her to fall through to the shop below.

‘I guess that answers one of my questions.’ She waved the dust from the air and saw Remy fighting a woman with white hair and skin the color of chocolate. At the moment, she had lightning crackling around her hands and up her arms.

“Storm? What are you doing here?” Cyclops jumped down the hole and spoke to the woman.

“The Professor sent me to help you.” Storm relaxed and the lightning subsided.

“Leave it to Xavier to send one of the most powerful X-Men to help retrieve a simple woman.” As they spoke to each other, Remy extended his hand to Kimi and helped her to her feet.

“Is she really that strong?” Kimi whispered to Remy who nodded.

“We need to get out of here. This is too dangerous now.” he whispered back.

“Remy, I want you to know that if I die, I’m haunting you first.”

“Is that a promise, Cher?” He gave her a smirk and turned back to Storm and Cyclops who had already returned their attention to the runaways.

Storm’s blue eyes glowed white and the air began to stir. She sent a forceful gust of wind at Remy that sent him flying backwards into the wall. He stood and shook the rubble from the crumbling wall off his shoulders. Kimi saw that his eyes had darkened. She gulped; the situation just went from bad to worse. She hadn’t seen Gambit in a week. Her heartbeat picked up as she relived the trauma.

‘No, not now.’ She fought against the thoughts freezing her in place and took a deep breath. She tightened her grip on the bo staff and faced Cyclops. She swung the staff and aimed for his legs to knock him down, but he jumped, avoiding her attack. This left her wide open and he took the opportunity to punch for her jaw. Kimi’s wide swing caused her to stumble back and she watched as his fist passed inches from her face.

She regained her composure and tried again; this time aiming for his head. Kimi felt the vibration up her arm when Cyclops grabbed the staff before it could hit. He pressed his visor to send an energy beam that would hit her directly, but a tornado from across the room picked her up and the beam missed her. Kimi was thrown against the wall and landed next to Gambit. He let out a growl, grabbed Kimi and ran out of the building, stopping only to throw several of his playing cards which exploded when they reached the two X-Men.

When they were far enough away to be safe, he set Kimi down and she saw that his eyes had returned to their normal color. ‘Thank goodness.’ She couldn’t deal with Gambit on top of everything else right now. They continued walking and after a few minutes Remy spoke.

“What did we go there for anyways?”

“This.” She grabbed the locket. “It was my mother’s.” She looked down and saw that it was now charred and mangled, no longer resembling the oval it once had. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. ‘Maybe the inside is still salvageable.’ She tried to pry it open, but that only resulted in the whole piece crumbling to dust. Kimi dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands as she let it all out. She had lost her only home and the last possession of her mother’s in one day. What did she have left? She only had the clothes on her back and the cards in her pocket.

As though on cue, she felt the pull of the deck. She tried to ignore it, but the tarot had a mind of their own. She took hold of a card and raised it to eye level. It was the 10 of Swords; rock bottom. How could things get any worse? She returned the card to the deck, but did not move from her spot on the ground.

“We can’t stay here, Cher. We have to find somewhere to shelter for the night.” Remy took her gently in his arms bridal style and started for the nearest motel.

The next morning, Kimi woke up with a determination she had never known. The X-Men, and especially Xavier, needed to pay for taking everything from her. She and Remy decided to train more with the bo staff today. After an hour of practice, Remy suggested that they take a break for the day and find something to eat and drink. He left to grab food and while he was gone, Kimi took a shower.

They sat on the motel floor and ate in silence until Kimi had finished half of her sandwich. She washed it down with a sip of water before clearing her throat.

“Tell me about the X-Men. I need to know more about our enemies.”

“You can’t go looking for trouble. I’m teaching you to protect yourself against one or two, but there are more of them than a small army.”

“I need to know what we’re up against. Obviously, they aren’t going to stop.” Remy paused and let out a sigh before starting.

“Most of them are mutants; a type of human with superhuman abilities. Some are normal humans. The most important thing to know is that they are all trained and dangerous if you oppose them.”

“We’re already opposing them and we can’t run forever. We have to take a stand at some point.” Kimi argued.

“I’m sure we will, but I want you to be more prepared before that. No sense walking in there with nothing, Cher. You have to be patient.” He looked into her eyes hoping that she could see how serious this was. “For now, we have to move. Can’t stay in one place for too long.”

They had been walking in silence for a couple hours when Remy grew tense. He grabbed several cards from his trenchcoat’s inner pocket and threw them. They exploded just moments after Kimi saw a blur move from that spot and towards them. Where the blur landed, a man stood with broad shoulders and what looked like metal blades coming out of his knuckles.

“We need to talk.” He had a deep gruff voice.

“Logan.” Remy said curtly. “Not you too.” He didn’t wait for a response before running in and throwing a punch. Logan countered by running his blades through Remy’s abdomen. Remy fell to the ground, bleeding. Kimi felt tears welling in her eyes. She did the only thing she knew to do and took an unsure stance. She couldn’t possibly win, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She waited to see what the man would do and was surprised when he retracted the blades into his knuckles.

“Don’t just stand there. We need to get him inside and treat his wounds.” He picked up the unconscious Remy and waited for Kimi to follow him.

“I don’t understand. Why are you helping? You just stabbed him.”

“Remy is too hasty for his own good, but your mother asked me to help you.”

“My mother died when I was 6.”

“No,” He shook his head. “She’s alive and in the Xavier Institute in New York.”

“Why would she be there?”

“Your mother is a mutant.”


End file.
